Inspector General Wants Arrest Powers

Ohio Inspector General Randy Myers is supposed to be responsible to uncovering wrongdoing in state government.

So how’s that going? Well, as Joseph points out time and again, we are still waiting on a report on the biggest wrongdoing in state government from the past decade, coingate.

The Inspector General seems to spend much of his time covering up for the Kasich Administration. In one report, the IG found that Kasich staffers did not do anything wrong when they attempted to oust Kevin DeWine as Republican State Party Chair. Notably, that investigation failed to examine key documents like emails and phone records. In another report, the IG found that School Superintendent Stan Heffner had committed wrongdoing, but declined to refer the matter to the county prosecuting attorney.

All of that is why a small provision hidden in the appropriations bill shocked us. The provision authorizes a deputy inspector generals to have the powers of a peace officer while engaged in Inspector General duties.

In other words, the Inspector General wants to have police powers. He wants to be able to arrest people and charge them with crimes.

What is wrong with this?

This blurs the line between investigations into wrongdoing and law enforcement. As the law currently stands, the IG Office can assist law enforcement, but must stand aside when criminal conduct is discovered. This can lead to all sorts of confusion. For example, if a deputy inspector general is a law enforcement officer, is the deputy required to give Miranda warnings to government employees during interviews?

Giving an agency like the IG Office law enforcement powers is unprecedented in Ohio. Ohio has a long tradition of civilian control of law enforcement. Every law enforcement officer in Ohio reports to an elected official. Deputy sheriffs report to an elected sheriff, for example. Municipal police officers report to a mayor or other local official. An deputy IG reports only to the Inspector General who, while appointed by the Governor, acts independently.

In addition, the IG has subpoena powers. Usually, if a law enforcement officer wants to seize records, the officer must go to the prosecutor and obtain a grand jury subpoena or go before a judge and obtain a search warrant. If this law passes, law enforcement officers working for the IG could obtain records by issuing their own subpoenas.

What is most worrisome is that Ohio has a long tradition of local control of law enforcement. Establishing greater law enforcement powers in a state office is troublesome by itself. Trying to sneak these greater powers into an appropriations bill without full debate is downright scary.

Evangelize!

Related Stories

Interesting indeed, Leonidas…one wonders who exactly is behind this and the reason(s) for it…no legislator asked about this during appropriations hearings or raised the potential issues you mentioned in your post?…James, Cols

dmoore2222

This is simply incompetence.

Clecinosu

Most likely, the legislators didn’t bother to read the bill. Or didn’t bother to care.

From the post:All of that is why a small provision hidden in the appropriations bill shocked us.

Obviously, it was “hidden” in plain sight. Leonidas, you might have been the only person, other than the writers, to actually look at the text.

http://twitter.com/jr6020 James Miller

You would think up and coming Dems like John Patrick Carney or one of his staff would not let something like this pass by…even if the language is tucked away in a massive document..oh, well…wonder what else may be lurking in there that needs to be exposed to the masses…

http://twitter.com/MadisonProj Maggi Cook

Legislators have to pass the bill to learn what’s in it

Dale Russell

so the IG wants to become the grand inquisitor of Ohio? whats next witch trials?